Shingles with increased hydrophobicity

ABSTRACT

A shingle includes a substrate having an asphalt coating on a top surface of the substrate and on a bottom surface of the substrate. A surface layer of granules is embedded in the asphalt on the top surface of the substrate. A backdust layer of particles is embedded in the asphalt on the bottom surface of the substrate. A sealant is disposed on the backdust. A hydrophobic material is applied to the sealant.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/136,728, filed on Sep. 20, 2018, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/623,688, filed on Feb. 17, 2015, nowabandoned, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/942,673, filed on Feb. 21, 2014, all of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to roofing materials, such as shingles.In particular, the present application relates to roofing materials,such as shingles, with increased hydrophobicity as compared to otherwiseidentical, roofing materials or shingles.

BACKGROUND

Asphalt-based roofing materials, such as roofing shingles, roll roofingand commercial roofing, are installed on the roofs of buildings toprovide protection from the elements, and to give the roof anaesthetically pleasing look. Typically, the roofing material isconstructed of a substrate such as a glass fiber mat or an organic felt,an asphalt coating on the substrate, and a surface layer of granulesembedded in the asphalt coating. Furthermore, physical and chemicalfactors such as surface roughness and heterogeneity as well as particleshape and size have been found to influence the contact angle andwetting behavior of solid particles. See, e.g., T. T. Chau, et al., “Areview of factors that affect contact angle and implications forflotation practice,” Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 150, pp.106-115 (2009). The entire disclosure of the Chau reference is herebyincorporated by reference.

SUMMARY

One exemplary embodiment of a shingle includes a substrate having anasphalt coating on a top surface of the substrate and on a bottomsurface of the substrate. A surface layer of granules is embedded in theasphalt on the top surface of the substrate. A backdust layer ofparticles is embedded in the asphalt on the bottom surface of thesubstrate. A sealant is disposed on the backdust. A hydrophobic materialis applied to the sealant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of ashingle;

FIG. 1B is a side elevational is a side elevational view of a shingle;

FIG. 1C is a top perspective view of a laminated shingle;

FIG. 1D is a bottom perspective view of the laminated shingleillustrated by FIG. 1C;

FIG. 1E is a bottom plan view of a top layer of the laminated shingleillustrated by FIG. 1C;

FIG. 1F is a bottom plan view of a bottom layer of the laminated shingleillustrated by FIG. 1C;

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of shingles stacked in apackage;

FIG. 2B is a schematic illustration of shingles stacked in a package andmoisture wicking or infiltrating between the layers of the stackedshingles;

FIG. 3A illustrates the contact angle of a moisture droplet that isgreater than ninety degrees;

FIG. 3B illustrates the contact angle of a moisture droplet that is lessthan 90 degrees;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment where amoisture droplet moving down along a side of a stack of shingles;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a shinglewith a hydrophobic material applied to a back or lower surface of theshingle;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a shingle with ahydrophobic material applied only to edges of a lower surface of theshingle;

FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of particles embedded in anasphalt coating of a shingle;

FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a hydrophobic materialapplied to the particles and asphalt coating of the shingle illustratedby FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a shingle havinghydrophobic particles embedded in the asphalt coating along with otherparticles embedded in the asphalt coating;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the embodiments herein, the invention of the present application isdiscussed for use with roofing shingles. However, it should beunderstood that the invention of the present application may be usedwith any type of roofing material, such as, for example, asphalt-basedroll roofing and commercial roofing.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a shingle 100 generally comprises a substrate116 that is infiltrated with asphalt forming a first asphalt coating 114on the top surface of the substrate and a second asphalt coating 118 onthe bottom surface of the substrate. The shingle also generallycomprises a surface layer of granules 112 embedded in the first asphaltcoating and a backdust layer of particles 120 embedded in the secondasphalt coating. The first asphalt coating 114 is positioned above thesubstrate 116 when the shingles are installed on a roof and the secondasphalt coating 118 is positioned below the substrate when the shinglesare installed on the roof.

A shingle may also comprise one or more sheets laminated together toform a laminated shingle. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, ashingle 150 comprises an upper or overlay sheet 160 attached to a loweror underlay sheet 180 with an adhesive 152 to form the laminatedshingle. The overlay sheet 160 extends the full width of the shingle 150and includes cutouts 161 defining tabs 163 on a front tab portion of theshingle. An optional release paper covered adhesive strip (not shown)may be disposed on a lower or rear surface of the overlay sheet 160along a rear headlap portion of the shingle 150. Similar to the shingle100, each sheet generally comprises a substrate 116, a first asphaltcoating 114 on the top surface of the substrate, a surface layer ofgranules 112 embedded in the first asphalt coating, a second asphaltcoating 118 on the bottom surface of the substrate, and a backdust layerof particles 120 embedded in the second asphalt coating.

The substrate of the shingle can be any type known for use inreinforcing asphalt-based roofing materials, such as a web, scrim orfelt of fibrous materials such as mineral fibers, cellulose fibers, ragfibers, mixtures of mineral and synthetic fibers, or the like.Combinations of materials can also be used in the substrate. In certainembodiments, the substrate is a nonwoven web of glass fibers. Thesubstrate may be any conventional substrate used in asphalt shingles,roll roofing, low-slope membranes, and the like.

The asphalt coatings are generally formed from a layer of hot, meltedasphalt applied to the substrate. The asphalt coating can be applied tothe substrate in any suitable manner. For example, the substrate can besubmerged in the asphalt or the asphalt can be rolled on, sprayed on, orapplied to the substrate by other means. The asphalt coating may also beany type of bituminous material suitable for use on a roofing material,such as asphalts, tars, pitches, or mixtures thereof. The asphalt can beeither a manufactured asphalt produced by refining petroleum or anaturally occurring asphalt. The asphalt coating can include variousadditives and/or modifiers, such as inorganic fillers or mineralstabilizers, organic materials such as polymers, recycled streams, orground tire rubber. In certain embodiments, the asphalt coatingscomprise asphalt and inorganic fillers or mineral stabilizers. Theasphalt coatings may be any conventional asphalt used in shingles, andcan be applied in any conventional manner and in any conventional amountor thickness.

The granules are generally deposited onto the asphalt coating after thecoating is applied to the substrate. The shingles may be passed throughrollers to further embed the granules into the asphalt coating. Thegranules may comprise a variety of different materials. The granules maybe ceramic roofing grade granules that are made in any known orconventional manner. Any type of roofing granule may be used. Thegranules may comprise a variety of different particle sizes and colors.Further, a variety of different granules may be blended together, e.g.,to provide different color blends or to provide the appearance ofvarying thickness to the shingle.

The backdust particles are generally deposited onto the asphalt coatingafter the coating is applied to the substrate. The shingles may bepassed through rollers to further embed the backdust particles into theasphalt coating. The backdust may comprise a variety of differentmaterials, including but not limited to, Quartz (SiO₂), K-Feldspar(KAlSi₃O₈), Na-Feldspar (NaAlSi₃O₈), Dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂), pulverizedsand, talc, mica, calcium carbonate, ground recycled glass, or othercommon inorganic material. The backdust may comprise a variety ofdifferent particle sizes. For example, the backdust particles may havean average particle size between about 20 and 1000 μm, 60 and 600 μm,100 and 400 μm, or 100 and 300 μm. In certain embodiments, the backdustparticles have an average particle size of about 200 μm. The backdustmay be any material that prevents the shingles from sticking togetherafter being stacked, packaged, and/or stored for a prolonged period oftime.

One or more portions of the shingle may comprise an additional layer,such as a reinforcement layer. In certain embodiments, the additionallayer may be attached to the asphalt coating, e.g., by the adhesivemixture of the asphalt coating or other adhesives. In certainembodiments, the additional layer may be a polymeric layer formed from,for example, a polyester, polyolefin (e.g., polypropylene orpolyethylene), or the like. However, the additional layer may be formedfrom other materials, such as, for example, paper, film, scrim material,and woven or non-woven glass.

For example, in certain embodiments, the shingle may include a strip ofwoven polyester material applied to the surface of the shingle afterapplication of the asphalt coating, such that the asphalt materialpenetrates the strip between the woven fibers of the polyester fabric,to embed the strip of material in the base asphaltic layer and securethe strip to the shingle. The polyester strip may be applied prior togranule coating of the shingle, and the granules may not adhere to thestrip-covered portion of the shingle. The strip of polyester materialmay, for example, define a shingle nail zone and provide reinforcementfor the nailed portion of the shingle.

In certain embodiments, a portion of the lower surface of the shinglemay be covered by a sheet of spun-bound nonwoven polyester web or matmaterial that is pressed into the hot asphalt material of the asphaltcoating prior to backdust coating of the shingle. The hot asphaltmaterial penetrates between the nonwoven polyester fibers to embed themat in the base asphaltic layer. The nonwoven mat may provide additionalimpact resistance for the shingle, to resist damage caused by hail orother such impacts.

Shingles are generally stacked and packaged for storage and transport,e.g. in a wrapper, bag, box, or the like. The package may take a widevariety of forms, such as a plastic wrapper, a plastic bag, shrink wrap,a cardboard box, a polyethylene wrapper (e.g., 1.5-2.5 mil thick), orthe like. FIG. 2A illustrates shingles 200 stacked in a package 210.Often, over time, the package 210 will develop small holes or openingsthat permit moisture penetration during extended storage periods.Further, the package 210 may become damaged during handling permittingmoisture to enter the shingle package. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, themoisture 250 will often wick or infiltrate between the layers of stackedshingles 200 resulting in the shingles being in a wet condition.

The Applicants have discovered that applying a hydrophobic material tosurfaces of the shingles increases the contact angle of the moisture onthe surfaces and decreases the wetting of the shingle bundle byprohibiting the moisture from wicking or infiltrating between thestacked shingles. Thus, the greater the contact angle the less moistureinfiltrates between the layers of shingles. The contact angle of amoisture droplet is the angle formed by the moisture droplet at thethree phase boundary where the liquid, gas, and solid intersect. FIGS.3A and 3B illustrate the contact angle of a moisture droplet of greaterthan 90 degrees and less than 90 degrees, respectively.

For example, FIG. 2B illustrates the moisture droplet 250 having acontact angle less than about 70 degrees with the shingle back, e.g.,between about 40 and 70 degrees, infiltrating between stacked shingles200 in the bundle. FIG. 4 illustrates a moisture droplet 450 having acontact angle greater than about 70 degrees with the shingle back, e.g.,between about 70 and 120 degrees, that is inhibited from infiltratingbetween the shingles 400. The applicants have discovered that a contactangle greater than about 70 degrees, greater than about 80 degrees, andgreater than about 90 degrees sufficiently inhibits the moisture frominfiltrating between the shingles such that the shingles were almostcompletely dry (i.e., less than 25%, less than 15%, less than 10%, orless than 5% of the bottom surface area of the second shingle from thetop of the stack was wet) when the bundle is exposed to 2.2 inches ofrain per hour for 24 hours.

The hydrophobic material applied to the shingles may take a variety ofdifferent forms. For example, the hydrophobic material may be a coatingon one or more surfaces of the shingle. Further, the backdust and/orgranules may be coated with a hydrophobic material before being appliedto the shingle (e.g., at the supplier) and/or after being applied to theshingle. Further, the material of the backdust and/or granulesthemselves may have hydrophobic properties. The hydrophobic material mayalso be applied to any surface of the shingle, such as, for example,around only the edges of the shingle, only on the back of the shingle,or on the back and front of the shingle. Further, the hydrophobicmaterial may also be applied only to the edges of the shingle bundle toprohibit moisture infiltration between the shingles.

For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of a shingle 500with a hydrophobic material 510 applied to the back or lower surface ofthe shingle. The hydrophobic material 510 may be sprayed on, rolled on,or otherwise applied to the surface of the shingle 500. Further, thebackdust of the shingle may be coated with the hydrophobic material 510before being applied to the shingle (e.g., at the supplier) and/or afterbeing applied to the shingle or some of the backdust may be ahydrophobic material, such as Titanium dioxide. FIG. 6 illustrates abottom view of a shingle 600 with a hydrophobic material 610 appliedonly to the edges of the lower surface of the shingle. As shown, thehydrophobic material 610 extends a distance between about 0.5 and 3inches in from each edge of the lower surface, such as between 1 and 2inches from each edge of the lower surface. However, the hydrophobicmaterial may be applied closer or further from the edge of the lowersurface, such as, for example, depending on the size and makeup of theshingle and/or the surrounding environmental conditions. It should beunderstood that the hydrophobic material may be applied to otherportions of the shingle as well, including the top surface and sides ofthe shingle.

Referring to FIGS. 1D, 1E, and 1F, in one exemplary embodiment, thehydrophobic material 510 (illustrated by dashed lines) is applied to arear surface 550 of the underlay sheet 180 and to a rear surface 552 ofthe overlay sheet 160. In the illustrated embodiment, the hydrophobicmaterial 510 is applied to the entire rear surface 550 or substantiallythe entire rear surface 550 of the underlay sheet 180. In theillustrated embodiment, the hydrophobic material 510 is applied to theportion 554 of the rear surface 552 of the overlay sheet 180 that is notcovered by the underlay sheet 160 or that is substantially not coveredby the underlay sheet. In one exemplary embodiment, the hydrophobicmaterial 510 is applied to a rear surface 552 of a headlap portion 556of the overlay sheet 180 and the hydrophobic material 510 is not appliedto a rear surface 552 of tab portions 558 of the overlay sheet 180.

Referring to FIGS. 1D, 1E, and 1F, in one exemplary embodiment, thehydrophobic material 510 is applied to a rear surface 550 of theunderlay sheet 180 and to a rear surface 552 of the overlay sheet 160before the underlay sheet 180 and the overlay sheet 160 are laminatedtogether. In another exemplary embodiment, the hydrophobic material 510is applied to a rear surface 550 of the underlay sheet 180 and to a rearsurface 552 of the overlay sheet 160 after the underlay sheet 180 andthe overlay sheet 160 are laminated together.

In another exemplary embodiment, the hydrophobic material 510 appliedonly to the edges of the lower surface of the laminated shingle 150. Forexample, the hydrophobic material 510 extends a distance between about0.5 and 3 inches in from each edge of the lower surface, such as between1 and 2 inches from each edge of the lower surface.

The Applicants have found that applying the hydrophobic material to atleast one of the upper surface (i.e., top) and lower surface (i.e., backor bottom) of the shingle (e.g., around the edges of the lower surface)prohibits moisture from infiltrating between the stacked shingles. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2B and 4, when moisture travels down the side ofthe stacked shingles, the moisture will attempt to infiltrate betweenthe shingles. When the moisture contacts a hydrophobic material appliedto either the upper or lower surface of the shingle, or both, themoisture will “bead” up and prohibit moisture from infiltrating betweenthe shingles. In this regard, the contact angle of the moisturecontacting the hydrophobic material is such that the moisture isprohibited from penetrating between the shingles. For example, incertain embodiments the contact angle may be greater than about 70degrees, greater than about 80 degrees, or greater than about 90degrees. As such, the hydrophobic material repels the moisture. Asdiscussed below, the Applicants have found that applying the hydrophobicmaterial to the lower surface sufficiently prohibits the moisture frominfiltrating between the shingles. However, applying the hydrophobicmaterial to both the upper and lower surfaces of the shingle furtherimproves the hydrophobicity of the stacked shingles and further inhibitswicking of water between stacked shingles.

A variety of different hydrophobic materials may be used. For example,in certain embodiments, a non-polar silane such as methyl, propyl, orsimilar material is used. The silane material may be applied to theshingle as a dilute water solution and then dried. However, a variety ofother hydrophobic materials may be used, such as, for example, waxemulsions, oils, silicones, siloxanes, SBR or esters of acrylic resins.As discussed above, these hydrophobic materials increase thehydrophobicity of the surface as measured by the contact angle ofmoisture droplets that contact the surface.

In certain embodiments, a silane solution having a silane concentrationin the range of about 0.25% to 2% was applied to the back of a shinglesheet during production at a rate of about 0.3 to 6 g silane/sq (One sqis 300 sf of shingles). The silane solution increased the dynamiccontact angle of the sheet at 10 minutes from the 40-60 degrees range tothe 80-120 degree range. In one exemplary embodiment, a silane solutionhaving a silane concentration of about 0.5% was applied to the back of ashingle sheet during production at a rate of about 1.1 g silane/sq. Thesilane solution increased the dynamic contact angle of the sheet at 10minutes from the 40-60 degrees range to the 80-120 degree range. Assuch, after the silane solution was applied to the back of the sheet andthe sheet was cut into shingles and bundled, the bundles of shingles didnot wick water in between the layers of shingles.

In certain embodiments, the back of shingle sheets were sprayed with asilane solution having a silane concentration of about 0.5% duringproduction at the rate of about 0.7 g silane/sq. The sheets were cut andlaminated into shingles and wrapped into bundles with 2.2 milpolyethylene wrappers. Bundles of shingles (both treated and untreated)were then placed on pallets in a shower that delivered 44 inches ofwater over a 48 hour period. The wrappers were opened and the shingleswere observed for water. The bundles having been treated shingles werealmost completely dry (i.e., less than 25% of the bottom surface area ofthe second shingle from the top of the stack was wet) while the bundlesof untreated shingles contained substantial amounts of water betweenshingles (i.e., greater than 25% of the bottom surface area of thesecond shingle from the top of the stack was wet).

The silane bonds to the lower surface of the shingle, including thesurfaces of the backdust particles, and will generally only be a fewmonolayers thick at the concentrations used (e.g., between about 0.25%to 2% silane). As such, the silane produces a hydrophobic surface butdoes not prevent laminating adhesives and sealants from bonding to theback of the shingle. For example, FIG. 7A illustrates backdust particles702 embedded in the asphalt coating 704 of a shingle 700. FIG. 7Billustrates silane 706 applied to the lower surface of the shingle 700while the asphalt coating is still hot. As shown, the silane 706 coatsthe backdust particles, the lower surface between the backdust particles702, and also seeps in between the backdust particles and the asphaltcoating.

As shown in FIG. 1B, shingles are often formed from shingle sheetslaminated together with an adhesive. Further, a shingle sealant isgenerally applied to the surface of a shingle and is used to bondadjacent shingles together when installed on a roof. Sealants may beapplied to the surface of a shingle before and/or after the hydrophobiccoating is applied to the surface of the shingle. The Applicants havediscovered that adding the silane solution to the surface of the shingledoes not affect the bond strength between two shingles via the sealant,but actually may enhance the bonding of the shingles together with thesealant. For example, the Applicants tested sheets having 0.25% and 0.5%silane solutions sprayed on the back of the shingle sheet while theasphalt was still hot at a rate of 0.16 lb. of solution/100 sq. ft. Noreduction in bond strength between the shingles per ASTM D3462 due tothe addition of the silane was observed in any of the tests. In some ofthe tests, the bond strength between the shingles increased with thesilane solution. Thus, adding the silane solution to one or moresurfaces of a shingle does not affect the bond strength between twoshingles via the sealant but instead can enhance the bonding between theshingles.

Silicones and wax emulsions are also effective in producing ahydrophobic surface and may block water absorption. However, these typesof materials will often act as a release agent and form a barrier filmon the surface of the shingle, thus affecting the ability of laminatingadhesives and sealants to bond to the back of the shingle.

The hydrophobic material of the present application may also comprisecertain particles or materials included in the backdust or granules ofthe shingle that increase the hydrophobicity of the shingle. TheApplicants have discovered that the addition of certain particles ormaterials in the backdust or granules of the shingles, even in smallamounts, affects the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature of the shingle.

For example, FIG. 8 illustrates a shingle 800 having hydrophobicparticles 804 embedded in the asphalt coating 806 on the lower surfaceof the shingle along with backdust particles 802. In certainembodiments, the hydrophobic particles 804 are embedded in the asphaltcoating on the upper surface of the shingle along with the granules.Similar to the hydrophobic coatings described above, the hydrophobicparticles 804 increase the contact angle of the moisture contacting theback surface of the shingle, thus prohibiting moisture from infiltratingbetween the stacked shingles. The hydrophobic particles may be a varietyof particles, including but not limited to Titanium dioxide (TiO₂),talc, and alumina.

The Applicants have discovered that certain Titanium minerals make theshingles more hydrophobic as measured both by contact angles and waterpickup through the back of the shingle and also as measured with thebundle rain test. For example, in certain embodiments, small amounts ofTiO₂ are added to the silica sand backdust on the lower surface ofshingle sheets. In one embodiment, 0.25% TiO₂ was added to the silicasand before the backdust was applied to the back of the shingle. Theaddition of this TiO₂ increased the contact angle of the lower surfacegreater than 20 degrees, or about 22 degrees. Further, the 0.25% TiO₂shingle was soaked by placing it on a wet sponge for about two weeks tomeasure the water absorption of the shingle. The weight of the shingleincreased less than 1.5% during this time, whereas the weight of ashingle without the 0.25% TiO₂ increased almost 2.0%, over a 30%increase. As such, the TiO₂ reduced the shingle's ability to absorbmoisture.

The 0.25% TiO₂ shingle was also tested to determine whether the TiO₂could withstand rain and whether the TiO₂ affected the adhesion of thebackdust or granules. The Applicants found that no noticeable amount ofthe TiO₂ washed off the lower surface of the shingle and that there wasno observable difference in shingle bond strength when compared to theshingle without the TiO₂.

As discussed herein, the addition of a hydrophobic material (e.g., thehydrophobic coatings and hydrophobic particles discussed herein)prohibits moisture from infiltrating between the stacked shingles. Assuch, the hydrophobic material reduces granule loss during handling andinstallation of the shingles and reduces the ability of the shingles tofreeze together in cold weather. Furthermore, the hydrophobic materialmay increase shingle life by keeping the underside of the shingle dry onthe roof and preventing water infiltration under the shingle. Thehydrophobic material may also help reduce leaks by preventing water fromwicking under shingles. Also, the hydrophobic material may reduce thewet time of shingles on the roof, which has been shown to directlycorrelate to reduced algae growth, thus reducing the need for algaeresistant granules.

As described herein, when one or more components are described as beingconnected, joined, affixed, coupled, attached, or otherwiseinterconnected, such interconnection may be direct as between thecomponents or may be in direct such as through the use of one or moreintermediary components. Also as described herein, reference to a“member,” “connector”, “component,” or “portion” shall not be limited toa single structural member, component, or element but can include anassembly of components, members or elements.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description ofembodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the invention to such details.Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to thoseskilled in the art. For example, where components are releasably orremovably connected or attached together, any type of releasableconnection may be suitable including for example, locking connections,fastened connections, tongue and groove connections, etc. Still further,component geometries, shapes, and dimensions can be modified withoutchanging the overall role or function of the components. Therefore, theinventive concept, in its broader aspects, is not limited to thespecific details, the representative apparatus, and illustrativeexamples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made fromsuch details without departing from the spirit or scope of theapplicant's general inventive concept.

While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventionsmay be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination inthe exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and featuresmay be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or invarious combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expresslyexcluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intendedto be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, whilevarious alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts andfeatures of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures,configurations, methods, devices and components, alternatives as toform, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, suchdescriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list ofavailable alternative embodiments, whether presently known or laterdeveloped. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of theinventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments anduses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodimentsare not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though somefeatures, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described hereinas being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is notintended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unlessexpressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative valuesand ranges may be included to assist in understanding the presentdisclosure, however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in alimiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only ifso expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features andconcepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive orforming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to beexclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts andfeatures that are fully described herein without being expresslyidentified as such or as part of a specific invention, the inventionsinstead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions ofexemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all stepsas being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps arepresented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly sostated.

1. A method of manufacturing a shingle, the method comprising: coating asubstrate with asphalt to form an asphalt coated substrate; applyinggranules to a top surface of the asphalt coated substrate; applyingbackdust to a bottom surface of the asphalt coated substrate; applying asealant layer to the backdust, wherein the sealant layer comprises a topsurface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface of the sealantlayer abuts the backdust; and applying a hydrophobic coating to thebottom surface of the sealant layer.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the hydrophobic coating is an oil.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is a wax.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is a wax emulsion.5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is asilicone.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobiccoating is a siloxane.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein thehydrophobic coating is a silane solution.
 8. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is a methyl silane solution. 9.The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is anacrylic resin.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein thehydrophobic coating comprises titanium mineral particles.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising applying the hydrophobiccoating to at least a portion of the backdust.
 12. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising applying the hydrophobic coating to anentire bottom surface of the shingle.
 13. The method according to claim1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is applied to the entire bottomsurface of the sealant layer.
 14. The method according to claim 1,further comprising applying the hydrophobic coating to at least aportion of the backdust, wherein the hydrophobic coating is applied tothe backdust and sealant layer around a perimeter of the shingle. 15.The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating isapplied to the bottom surface of the sealant layer by spraying thehydrophobic coating to the bottom surface of the sealant layer.
 16. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic coating is appliedto the bottom surface of the sealant layer by rolling the hydrophobiccoating to the bottom surface of the sealant layer.